Thanks, and I've found a couple from from Samsung. Creative and Sony seem to have dumped their major models.

Anyone know a model having around 2.5" (like the now discontinued Creative ZEN) or larger?

The now discontinued Cowon J3 can still be found on the Internet. The hardware buttons are located on the right edge of the device and is very easy to use even blindly. It also has a great 3.3" AMOLED screen and insane battery life.